Now you've gone and done it

Mirupafshim Shqiperi

Thursday I officially resigned as a Peace Corps Volunteer, so by this time next week I will be back in the States. I was offered a job, and I accepted.

I am not really sure how I feel about leaving. My emotions are quite mixed up right now. Part of me is incredibly excited to go home and see my family again. Part of me is really sad to leave all of the great friends I have made. Part of me is anxious about how I will react to being back in the land of plenty. Part of me is remeniscent about all the great times I have had here. Part of me is ready for some new work challenges. Part of me is ready for some indoor heating and 24-hour electricity. Part of me will always be in Shqiperi.

I suppose I will write more when I am back in the States just as a form of therapy for dealing with everything.

Mirupafshim Shqiperi dhe miqte te mi. Ju do te jeni ne zemren time pergjithmone.

Snake Style

No one's gonna take me alive.
The time has come to make things right.
You and I must fight for our rights!
You and I must fight to survive!

Have you seen the Knights of Cydonia video by Muse? Best music video I have ever seen.

Krize Dritash

S’ka Drite Fare

Despite many promises to the contrary, Albania is again without power this winter. Last night on the news they played a montage of the Prime Minister and several other government people making very authoritative declarations that the idea of another dark winter was absolutely absurd. Then they ended the montage with a guy from the electrical utilities saying, “Do jete nje kufizim.” In other words, “About all of our promises, well…. we kind of lied.”

So, I am writing this entry on my laptop at home, and right now it says that I have 21% battery left so I am typing as quickly as possible.

Actually Durres isn’t so bad; we only are without power for about 4 hours a day; whereas some villages in the country only have power for 4 hours a day.

On a positive note, I went to Kruje last week. Kruje is a city close to Tirana that was the home of the national hero Skanderbeg. The city is on the side of a mountain and so it has nice views of the surrounding land, and on a clear day you can see to the sea. It would be a really nice place, but like every other city here it is ruined by all the ugly, haphazard construction. It does have a couple of nice alleys where you can buy lots of old stuff.

Well, my computer is beeping, so I figure the battery is about to